Part-time Pre-sessional English (online)
Do you need to improve your English skills to meet the entry requirements for a degree course at The University of Sheffield in Autumn 2022? Our part-time fully online Pre-sessional English course can help you to do so.
Course overview
- Who: Anyone preparing to study a degree at The University of Sheffield
- Cost: £3834 (£213 per week) - includes all tuition and course material
- Level: CEFR B2 to C1
- Hours: 5 hours plus a 20 minute tutorial per week
- Time: February 7th to June 10th 2022 (18 week course)
- Minimum age: Adult learning environment. Minimum age 18 years (some exceptions considered)
- Maximum class size: 1 teacher for 16 students
- Social programme: Online social activities are available
- Apply: This programme is now closed for new applicants due to the application deadline passing.
If you need to improve your English language and academic skills to meet the entry requirements for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, and would prefer to study on a part-time basis this course can help you to do so. We also offer intensive full-time pre-sessional courses for students who prefer to study a similar course over a shorter time period.
This course can also help you improve your academic study skills and find out more about life as a student in the UK, even if you have already met the English language entry requirements for your prospective degree programme.
We are leaders at our Centre in the field of online language learning; our latest BALEAP inspection described our Technology Enhanced Learning as ’sector-leading” and noted that our “impressive use of digital platforms put students at a great advantage when they progress onto their degree course”.
Our highly qualified and experienced tutors will support you to develop your academic English abilities and study skills on this intensive course running from Spring to early Summer 2022 to allow for entry onto your University of Sheffield degree programme at the start of the 2022-23 academic year.
Course structure
Our Part-time Pre-sessional English Course is made up of the following components:
- Academic English skills: academic writing, academic reading, academic listening and academic speaking.
- Presentation and Seminar Skills: you will be assisted with the preparation of short presentations on topics you are interested in. Presentations are followed by group discussion.
- Extended Writing: you will research a topic of your choice and will be guided with the writing of a report on your findings.
- 1-1 tutorials - regular meetings with a tutor providing you with the opportunity to discuss your work and progress in the areas of Reading and Writing
Every moment in ELTC is useful. They use modern technology and modern techniques in teaching. They are so supportive and encourage you to improve your skills.
Haider Al-Hamadani (Iraq)
PhD Mechanical Engineering
Assessment and progression
Students attending and completing our part-time Pre-sessional Course in 2022 will be assessed throughout the course by the following methods:
- Extended Writing - 1500 word writing assignment, related to your degree programme, demonstrating evidence of academic reading
- Presentation - Speaking task, related to your degree programme, demonstrating evidence of academic reading
- Seminar - Interactive speaking task, demonstrating evidence of academic listening
- Interview - 1 to 1 interview about your writing
Progression to University
Progression from the Pre-sessional Course onto your University of Sheffield degree programme will also include consideration of:
- Attendance of teacher-led lessons
- Engagement in task-based lessons
- Engagement with your personal tutor
- Completion of interactive online lessons
- Completion of formative assessment tasks
If you fully participate and pass the Pre-sessional Course assessments you will be able to progress directly onto your University of Sheffield degree course after the Pre-sessional course ends.
Progression to University - further information
Results from our online Pre-sessional course in Summer 2022 are only guaranteed to be accepted by The University of Sheffield. The results are valid for 2 years and can be used for entry onto a degree course at the start of the 2022-23, or 2023-24 academic year.
If you plan on attending a different university after studying our Pre-sessional Course, you will need to ask your prospective university which English language qualifications they can accept.
Example timetable
Our part-time course is taught over three days each week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday).
- Sample Timetable
-
Monday
- 10:00am - 11:00am - Lesson 1
- 11:30am - 12:30pm - Lesson 2
Wednesday
- 10:00am - 11:00am - Lesson 1
- 11:30am - 12:30pm - Lesson 2
Friday
- 10:00am - 11:00am - Lesson 1
All students will also have a 1 to 1 tutorial per week of 15 minutes on either Monday or Wednesday at a time between 1:30pm and 3:30pm.
Please note these are example timetables and may be subject to change before or during the course. The times shown above are in GMT and will apply up until March 31st 2022. At this point all class times will move forward by 1 hour in the UK (e.g. Lesson 1 will start at 11:00am UK time), which means class times will stay the same throughout the full course in locations where daylight savings does not apply (e.g. China, Japan, UAE).
Dates, fees and entry requirements
18 Week Part-time Presessional Course
Start Date: February 7th 2022
End Date: June 10th 2022
Application Deadline: Sunday January 23rd 2022
Cost: £3834 (£213 per week)
Entry Requirements:
Your Overall IELTS Score: No more than 1 IELTS band below the overall English language requirement for your degree course.
Your Individual IELTS component scores (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening):
- No component below 5.5
- No component more than 1.5 bands below the overall IELTS requirement for your degree course
- No component more than 1.0 below the minimum requirement for that particular component for your degree course
You must also have applied for a degree course beginning in September or October 2022 at The University of Sheffield before applying for this course. If you have not yet received an offer for your degree course you can still submit an application to this Part-time Pre-sessional Course.
For more detailed information about the entry requirements for this course, including examples based on typical English language requirements for degree programmes at the University of Sheffield, please see our Term 2 Pre-sessional Entry Requirements webpage.
- Tuition Fees
-
The standard tuition fee for our Part-time Pre-sessional Course in 2022 is £3834. This fee includes:
- All tuition and course materials
- Course assessments
- Weekly 1 to 1 tutorials with your personal tutor
- Individual feedback
- Online lectures by University of Sheffield academic staff
- Access to online course materials and virtual learning environments
- Online University Library Access
- ELTC Student Exclusive Online Social Programme
- How to pay
-
You must arrange payment of your tuition fees before joining or during the first week of your course. Please note that if you do not pay by this time, you will not be allowed to continue your studies.
You may pay by:
- Credit/debit card
- Western Union bank transfer
We can also accept payments from sponsors. Acceptable sponsors include universities, government agencies, charitable organisations and registered international companies and you will need to provide a letter confirming your sponsorship before we can issue you with any visa documentation.
If you cancel your place before starting the course we will refund any fees you have paid in advance, minus any fees or bank charges incurred.
We are unable to accept any tuition fee payments in cash.
- Do I need an IELTS for UKVI certificate?
-
No, as the course is online and a visa is not required to attend we can be more flexible with the English tests we can accept for entry purposes. Acceptable tests for entry onto our Part-time Pre-sessional English Course include:
- IELTS for UKVI
- IELTS (Academic)
- IELTS Indicator (tests taken after July 2020)
- LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator or C1 Expert (available online)
- Pearson PTE
- Cambridge English C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency
- TOEFL iBT and Special Home Edition
- NCUK English Language Test
If you have taken TOEFL iBT or Pearson PTE you can use the table on this webpage to convert your score into an IELTS equivalent score. For further guidance about the entry requirements for the course please contact us.
- Technical requirements
-
The Part-time Pre-sessional Course will be taught online using Blackboard Collaborate.
To access the lessons and course content, students will require a desktop or laptop computer with a webcam and microphone, and a broadband internet connection (recommended minimum speed 5mbps).
Computer equipment and internet access is not provided as part of the course.
Apply
This programme is now closed for new applicants due to the application deadline passing. We recommend you apply for a course with a later start date.
Before submitting your application please read our terms and conditions and take note of the following information:
Deadlines
The final deadline for applying to our pre-sessional courses is 2 weeks before the course start date. We strongly recommend you submit your application as early as possible as places on the course are limited and we may have to stop accepting applications earlier than the standard deadline in the event of high demand.
Entry requirements
Please check that you meet the entry requirements for the pre-sessional course you are applying for. See the "Dates, fees and entry requirements" section above for more information.
Supporting documents
You will need to upload a copy of your passport and English Language Test Result when completing the application form - please make sure you have these ready before starting your application. If you are currently located in the UK will also need to upload a copy of all previous UK visas and CAS statements you have received.
If your tuition fees will be paid by a sponsor (e.g. a scholarship, your national government or an employer), please also upload a letter from your sponsor confirming this.
- The letter should include: A date within the last 6 months
- Applicant's full name and date of birth
- Sponsor's name and contact details
- Specific reference to an English language course in the UK.
Information for Under 18s
Our courses are designed for adults. Applicants who are under 18 are subject to a number of restrictions and administrative procedures.
The standard minimum age for our courses is 18 years. However, we will consider applications from applicants who are under 18 in some circumstances, and subject to satisfactory guardianship arrangements being in place. Please contact us for more information.
For further information on under 18s at the university please visit our "Students under the age of 18" webpage".
For more information on how we hold and process your personal data, please see the University's Privacy Notice for prospective, current and former students.